50 years of
Trans-Asian Railway |
(Picture:
Map of concerted fast long-distance
trains from Moscow to Dalni (1903) given
by V. Burkova -
www.transsib.ru)
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1960
The United Nations Economic Commission
for Asia and the Far-East (ECAFE) initiates the Trans-Asian
Railway project with the objective of providing a continuous
14,000-km rail link between Singapore and Turkey, via South-East
Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Islamic Republic
of Iran.
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Prefeasibility studies are undertaken by participating railways. |
1967
ECAFE's Inland Transport and Communications Committee recommends that a large railway network be created with the co-operation of all railway administrations in the region with the objective of eventually linking countries of the region with those in Europe and South-West Asia by a Trans-Asian Railway.
1976
At its 32nd Commission, UNESCAP, which
replaced ECAFE in 1974, extends the scope of the project
to include intermodal aspects to link rural areas and ports.
UNESCAP initiates the Asian Railway Master Plan aimed at
forming a coherent system of railway trunk lines to satisfy
transport requirements likely to arise during the decade
1990-2000 and beyond.
1992
Recognizing the profound economic
changes taking place in the region and their impact on transport
infrastructure, the 48th session of the Commission (Shanghai,
April 1992) launches the Asian Land Transport Infrastructure
Development (ALTID) project.
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The three components of ALTID are the
Trans-Asian Railway network, the Asian Highway network and
Transport Facilitation. To implement the project, UNESCAP
adopts a step-by-step approach based on corridor studies
to reflect the size and diversity of the region.
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1994-1995
UNESCAP carries out the first corridor
study “Feasibility Study on connecting the rail networks
of China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation and
the Korean Peninsula”. The routes identified form
the Trans-Asian Railway Northern Corridor.
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A policy-level expert group meeting endorses the routes and route requirements for the Trans-Asian Railway Northern Corridor (Bangkok, October 1995). |
1995
UNESCAP carries out the study “Trans-Asian
Railway Route Requirements: Preliminary study on Development
of Trans-Asian Railway in the Southern Corridor of Asia-Europe
Routes”.
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An
ad hoc expert group meeting reviews the routes identified
and recommends that UNESCAP carries out a detailed study
of the corridor (Bangkok, December 1995). |
1996
UNESCAP publishes a second corridor
study “Trans-Asian Railway Route Requirements: Development
of the Trans-Asian Railway in the Indo-China and ASEAN Subregion”.
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A policy-level expert group meeting
endorses the routes and route requirements for the Trans-Asian
Railway in the Indo-China and ASEAN Subregion (Bangkok,
February 1996).
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A Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure
is held in New Delhi, India (October). The Conference launches
the New Delhi Action Plan defining a set of activities to
be implemented at the regional level during the decade 1997-2006.
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Phase I of the Regional Action
Plan (1997-2001) is marked by the formulation of rail and
road linkages of international importance across the UNESCAP
region.
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1997
The 53rd session of the Commission
endorses a refined strategy for the implementation of the
ALTID project focussing on the formalization of the Trans-Asian
Railway and Asian Highway networks through related agreements
and giving emphasis to improving operational efficiency
of the routes identified.
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One major project adopted is the
"Joint UNESCAP/OSJD demonstration project on container
transport on the routes of the Trans-Asian Railway Northern
Corridor".
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1999
UNESCAP and the Organization for Railways
Cooperation (OSJD) sign a Memorandum of Understanding to
promote cooperation and strengthen the impact of their respective
work programmes on the development of railway infrastructure
and services.
UNESCAP publishes the corridor study “Development
of the Trans-Asian Railway: Trans-Asian Railway in the Southern
Corridor of Asia-Europe routes”.
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A policy-level expert group meeting
endorses the routes and route requirements for the Trans-Asian
Railway in the Southern Corridor (Dhaka, May1999).
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UNESCAP publishes the study “Development
of Asia-Europe Rail Container Transport through Block-trains
– Northern Corridor of the Trans-Asian Railway”.
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A policy-level expert group meeting
endorses the findings and recommendations of the study and
recommends that the routes of the Trans-Asian Railway Northern
Corridor be considered for demonstration runs of container
block-trains with the active involvement of private sector.
(Bangkok, February 2000).
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2000
UNESCAP and the International Union
of Railways (UIC) sign a Memorandum of Understanding to
promote cooperation and share expertise.
2001
Railways along the Trans-Asian Railway
Northern Corridor agree to implement demonstration runs
of container block-trains along the corridor. At a policy-level
expert group meeting (Bangkok, September), they formalize
their commitment towards this objective in a draft Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) to be presented for signature at
the Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure scheduled later
that year.
A Ministerial Conference on Infrastructure is held in Seoul,
Republic of Korea (November). The Conference mandates activities
to be undertaken during Phase II (2002-2006) of the Regional
Action Plan of the New Delhi Action Plan.
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Under Phase II, UNESCAP is requested
to formalize the Trans-Asian Railway and Asian Highway networks,
and promote the development of intermodal transport systems
at the national, subregional and regional levels.
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At the Conference, the ministers of
Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, the Russian
Federation and the Executive Secretary of UNESCAP sign the
MOU on the planning and implementation of demonstration
runs of container block-trains along the Trans-Asian Railway
Northern Corridor. In so doing they lay the founding stone
for the operationalization of the Trans-Asian Railway network.
UNESCAP publishes the corridor study “Development
of the Trans-Asian Railway: Trans-Asian Railway in the North-South
Corridor Northern Europe to the Persian Gulf”.
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The study identifies rail and land-cum-sea
routes forming part of a network of routes connecting Northern
Europe with the Persian Gulf through the Caucasus region,
Central Asia and/or the Caspian sea. It carries out an initial
evaluation of the transit times that these routes can reasonably
offer.
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2002
Belarus, China, Poland, the International
Union of Railways (UIC) and the Organization for Railways
Cooperation (OSJD) sign the MOU on the planning and implementation
of demonstration runs of container block-trains along the
Trans-Asian Railway Northern Corridor.
The 1st Steering Committee Meeting planned under the MOU
is held in Vladivostok (Russian Federation) in June.
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The Meeting assesses recent activities
undertaken by the countries to develop services and facilities
with respect to container operations, and maps out the future
implementation of demonstration runs of container block-trains
along the Trans-Asian Railway Northern Corridor.
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2003
The 2nd Steering Committee Meeting planned
under the MOU is held in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia) in October.
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The Meeting agrees on a schedule
for four demonstration runs of container block-trains to
take place along key sections of the Trans-Asian Railway
Northern Corridor between November 2003 and June 2004.
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In November, the 1st demonstration
run of a container block-train takes place between the port
of Tianjin (China) and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia). A number
of freight forwarders express their interest in the work
of UNESCAP to develop Asia-Europe rail freight corridors
and indicate that potential volumes already exist.
2004
The 60th session of the Commission
(Shanghai, April) endorses the development of an Intergovernmental
Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network.
In April, the 2nd demonstration run of a container block-train
takes place between the port of Lianyungang (China) and
Almaty (Kazakhstan).
In June, the 3rd demonstration run of a container block-train
takes place between Brest (Belarus) and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
In July, the 4th demonstration run of a container block-train
takes place between the port of Nakhodka (Russian Federation)
and Malacewicze (Poland).
In November, at a Regional Meeting, UNESCAP launches the
negotiation process on the Intergovernmental Agreement on
the Trans-Asian Railway Network.
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The Meeting welcomes the proposal
for subregional meetings to be convened to further review
the draft agreement at the subregional level.
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2005
In April, the first expert group meeting
to review the draft Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian
Railway Network is organized by UNESCAP and the Ministry
of Railways, Government of India, in New Delhi. The second
such meeting is jointly organized by UNESCAP and the Ministry
of Transport of the Russian Federation in Moscow in September.
The 3rd Steering Committee Meeting on implementation of
demonstration runs of container block-trains along the Trans-Asian
Railway Northern Corridor is held in Moscow (Russian Federation)
in September.
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The Meeting notes that the successful
implementation of the four demonstration runs of container
block-trains is the result of enhanced cooperation among
railways and greater awareness of international trade patterns
arising from globalization.
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An Intergovernmental Meeting on the
Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network
is held in Bangkok in November.
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The Meeting finalizes the Intergovernmental
Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network. With the negotiation
process concluded, the Intergovernmental Agreement on the
Trans-Asian Railway network is now ready for adoption and
signature.
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2006
At its 62nd session (April), the Commission
passes Resolution 62/4 adopting the Intergovernmental Agreement
on the Trans-Asian Railway Network.
At the Ministerial Conference on Transport
held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 6 to 11 November,
eighteen of the twenty-eight member countries served by
the Trans-Asian Railway network sign the Intergovernmental
Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network.
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The eighteen signatories are: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia,
China, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan,
Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, the Republic
of Korea, the Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan,
Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
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2007
In April Cambodia becomes the first member State to deposit its instrument of acceptance of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. That same year three more countries (i.e. Bangladesh, Georgia and India) sign the Agreement. In September, India ratifies the Agreement.
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By the end of 2007, 21 countries have signed the Agreement and 2 have become Parties.
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2008
In January Pakistan signs the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network. That same year, five more countries (i.e. Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Thailand) become Parties to the Agreement.
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By the end of 2008, 22 countries have signed the Agreement and 7 have become Parties.
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2009
In March China becomes the eighth Party to the Agreement by depositing its instrument of approval with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Article 5 of the Agreement stipulates that the Agreement shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date on which the Governments of at least eight member States have consented to be bound by its terms.
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The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Trans-Asian Railway Network enters into force on 11 June 2009.
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